Emirates will introduce its flagship Airbus A380 on the Dubai–Delhi route from October as Premium Economy expands across six Indian cities, reports Asian Lite News Desk
Emirates is set to deploy its flagship Airbus A380 on the Dubai–Delhi route for the first time from 25 October, marking a major expansion of its premium services in India as demand for travel between the two countries continues to grow.
With the move, Delhi will become the third Indian city, after Mumbai and Bengaluru, to welcome the airline’s iconic double-decker aircraft, while passengers across the country will also benefit from a wider rollout of Emirates’ Premium Economy cabin.
The airline said the introduction of the A380 forms part of a broader investment in the Indian market, where it is enhancing both its onboard experience and customer services as it celebrates more than four decades of operations in the country.
From late October, Emirates will operate the four-class Airbus A380 on one of its daily Dubai–Delhi services, while its remaining three daily flights to the Indian capital will continue to be served by newly retrofitted four-class Boeing 777 aircraft.
The expansion means passengers travelling between Dubai and Delhi will have access to four cabin classes on every daily Emirates service, including First Class, Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy Class.
Emirates said it is also significantly expanding the availability of Premium Economy across India, with the upgraded cabin set to be offered on services to six Indian cities by the end of October.
Alongside Delhi, the enhanced product will be available on selected flights to Mumbai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Kochi, giving travellers greater choice and comfort across one of the airline’s largest international markets.
Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer Adnan Kazim said the expansion reflects Emirates’ long-standing commitment to India and its determination to meet rising passenger demand.
He said Delhi’s addition to the A380 network represents another milestone in the airline’s partnership with India, while the wider rollout of Premium Economy demonstrates Emirates’ continued investment in enhancing the customer experience.
Kazim added that further service improvements are already in the pipeline, underlining the airline’s confidence in the Indian market.
The introduction of the A380 will also strengthen Emirates’ premium offering on one of its busiest routes.
The aircraft features the airline’s latest four-class configuration, including its award-winning Premium Economy cabin, alongside upgraded Business and First Class products.
Beyond Delhi, Emirates is also upgrading services to Kolkata.
From 25 October, the airline’s daily Kolkata–Dubai route will be operated by its next-generation Airbus A350, introducing Premium Economy to the service for the first time.
Combined with additional Boeing 777 services, Premium Economy will be available on all 12 weekly flights between Kolkata and Dubai.
By the end of October, Premium Economy will be offered on four daily flights from Delhi, 22 weekly services from Mumbai, 12 weekly services from Kolkata, nine weekly flights from Ahmedabad, seven weekly flights from Bengaluru and two weekly services from Kochi.
The expansion is part of Emirates’ wider strategy to modernise its fleet and provide a more consistent premium travel experience across its global network.
The airline is also investing in customer service on the ground.
New Emirates retail travel stores have recently opened in Delhi and Mumbai, offering personalised travel planning and product demonstrations. Similar outlets are expected to open in Hyderabad and Bengaluru, while a dedicated customer contact centre is being established in Mumbai.
On board, Emirates continues to tailor its services for Indian travellers through regionally inspired menus prepared by award-winning chefs and multilingual cabin crew speaking Hindi and several regional Indian languages.
Passengers can also access more than 6,500 entertainment channels through Emirates’ inflight entertainment system, including a wide selection of Bollywood films and programmes in Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Gujarati and other Indian languages.
India remains one of Emirates’ largest overseas markets.
The airline currently operates 167 weekly flights from nine Indian gateways—Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram—connecting passengers to Dubai and nearly 140 destinations worldwide.
